Eyes Wide Shut
by mikiwashere
Summary: She is a starving artist...he is a wealthy SOB.  He is cold both inside and outside the boardroom...she has fire & spirit. He looses his sight...she becomes his caretaker?.. Is this a recipe for disaster or something much more?  [Rating Will Raise]
1. Obstacles

**Eyes Wide Shut- **Chapter 1

By: miki-chan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. (sob, sob) (cry, cry)**

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"Hey, you still alive in there?" Kagome hollered across the living room of the cozy two bedroom apartment. She paced back and forth while fumbling with her keys, occasionally pausing to glance at the framed photo hangings on the cream colored walls. 

"I'm coming!" A voice cried from the farthest bedroom. "UH! I'm in wardrobe hell here! I hate it when I can't find anything to wear!"

"Okay… 'I'm coming' means about ten more minutes," Kagome mumbled to herself. _And she only does this about every single time we go out._

Sango was a pure perfectionist to the core; from the meticulous way she cleaned her bathroom to her choice of outfit in the morning. If only she could be more of a stickler about being punctual.

It had taken herself less than ten minutes to dress, tame her wavy hair into a loose bun and apply a coat of mascara to her lashes before she was out the door. Damn, she loved being low-maintenance. It significantly lessened the amount of uneeded stress in her life.

_The woman would show up late to her own wedding. _In her mind's eye she pictured Miroku standing at the alter with a dumbfounded expression on his face and giggled out loud at the mental image.

Since grade school Kagome had known her best friends harbored strong feelings for one other. Miroku's incessant groping…Sango's terrifying jealousy… She suspected it was only a matter of time before they tied the knot. That is, if that baka, Miroku, would stop dragging his feet. Her lips naturally pursed to the corner of her mouth as she contemplated.

She can just forget about having a relationship of her own any time soon. At this point in her life it would be too overwhelming-- and she wasn't just saying that because she was lonely. A favorite past time of most bitter women in their mid-twenties was to dillute themselves into believing they weren't interested in men because they'd rather "focus on their career". Bull shit. The fact of the matter was that the majority of them did desire some male companionship, yet chose to conceal their loneliness behind a mask of ambition and independence.

She wouldn't deny the fact that she longed for such a thing at times... It would be nice to have that someone special to come home to at the end of the day who she could talk to and confide in (who didn't have breasts). Though, at present, the love of her life was art. For years it had been her dream to open up a gallery of her own one day. Unfortunately, although she possessed the talent and drive, an obstacle that couldn't be helped stood in the way of her and her heart's desire.

Money.

Oh money…the necessary evil that helped make the world go round. Yet, despite the less than impressive amount of funds sitting in her bank account she kept a cheerful disposition and worked hard for a job that didn't pay nearly enough. Whenever she became impatient her mother always reminded her that great things took time.

Overall she was doing well for herself and had managed to maintain a comfortable lifestyle that suited her basic needs, while allowing her to carefully setting aside a small sum of money each month toward her dream. One day, though perhaps not in the near future, it would happen.

"What were you giggling at?—I heard giggling." Sango peeked her head out from the corner of the hallway, curiously scanning the room.

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "I was just talking to myself," she said a matter-of-factly. "Nothing out of the usual."

"Oh good…" Sango sighed, an over-exaggerated look of relief on her face, "It's only my creepo friend that talks to her self. Comforting."

Her tone of voice hardened. "And here I thought it was my pervert boyfriend--who had THE GALL the other day, to go snooping through my underwear drawer," she said through gritted teeth.

Kagome winced. She could just imagine the beating Miroku received for pulling a stunt like that.

"Yep. He's sporting two black eyes now," she said crisply, holding two fingers in the air.

"I went through them to make sure they were all accounted for and guess what was missing?--Hm? Any idea?" After years of friendship, Kagome knew that her friend would answer her own question in just a moment. Whenever Sango was fired up about something she tended to ask a lot of rhetorical questions to get her point across and wasn't expecting to get any responses to her questions. Playing dumb, Kagome just gave her a clueless expression.

"You remember that see-through leopard print thong you gave me as a joke last year for my birthday?"

"No...way." Kagome's eyes were wide with recognition and she started to giggle uncontrollably. "He didn't…"

"You bet your bottoms he did. I can't find it and I know that baka took it! Oh god… I don't even want to think about what he's been doing with it!"

"You'd think he'd learn by now how to treat a woman. Especially when he has one that can beat him up."

Sango raised a brow thoughtfully. "Yeah... I'm beginning to think that within that twisted hentai brain of his he finds it kinky," she said with her face twisted as if she was sucking on something sour.

She paused and her face suddenly became stone serious. "Kagome, I swear... if than man has any plans of reproducing in the future…"

_**SK**_

He was twenty-nine years old, handsome, wealthy, powerful, and in peak physical condition. His diet consisted of healthy gourmet meals and he maintained his sculpted physique through regular visits to his private gym. He couldn't recall a day in his life when he was ever sick and had never suffered any disabilities mentally or physically. Women swooned at the sight of him. Men envied him. He was the embodiment of male perfection and was well aware of it.

Nothing ever rattled the stoic businessman. He got what he wanted, when he wanted it and very rarely--if ever, did things occur that were beyond his control. For the first time, Sesshoumaru Taishou faced a fate whose will surpassed his own.

It was an upsetting obstacle. An inconvenience that threw his whole life off balance… and yet compared to the majority of people who woke up completely blind, he was dealing with the situation beautifully.

Even the best eye-specialist in Japan was puzzled by his sudden unexplained blindness. There were innumerable plausible causes for his present condition, but none could solve his current predicament. At present it could go either way. His vision could return the following day or remain thus for the rest of his life.

If his current ailment was permanent then there was no question but to accept it with grace and move on. He did not allow himself to bend under any pressure or dwell on things for which nothing could be done. That was his nature and it was these defining qualities which made him who he was.

A survivor.

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	2. Spent

**Eyes Wide Shut-**Chapter 2

**MC: Thank you everyone for all your encouraging comments. My muse seems to be cooperating! YAY I have a lot of awesome plot in store for this tale and I've enjoyed writing it. Thanks again to all my readers, you're all awesome. **

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. (sob, sob) (cry, cry)

_

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_Sesshoumaru Taisho's was having one of the worst days of his life. His inability to perform the simplest of tasks was maddening. Determined to master his weakness, he'd spent most of the morning learning how to move around his home; trusting his memory and instincts to guide him as he became familiar with his surroundings in a completely new way. He had always held a sense of pride for possessing such an extravagant estate, but now the massive size of his home only served to piss him off. 

There were only a few individuals who knew of his plight. This exclusive group included his eye doctor, Inuyasha his half-brother, and his friend Kouga Ookami.

The rest of the world would not know of the tribulation that had befallen the great Sesshoumaru Taishou--and therefore, no one would doubt or suspect he'd lost his touch. This blindness did not change _Him. _The spirit of a businessman; sharp, fearsome, powerful, and possessing the ability to strike fear into any man's heart with a single fleeting glance, resided within--more alive than ever before.

The day he learned of his affliction, he instantly assigned his brother the task of releasing all staff members that were currently employed within his household. They were more than satisfied with the generous parting sum they'd received for their service. As for himself, he now had the thing he valued above all else. His privacy.

At work, Inuyasha-- as vice-president, would act as his voice and informant; bringing all business matters and decisions through him first, as well as keep operation running smoothly.

"Hey buddy, how's it goin?" a cheery voice that was unbefitting to the bleak feeling in the elegant sitting room assaulted his sensitive ears.

"Hn." Only one person could ask said question under such circumstances.

In his mind's eye he could picture his old college roommate Kouga Ookami lounging on the leather couch in front of him. Normally he could tolerate his friend's draining behavior, but his patience expired early this morning when he ran into a wall. He decided to ignore whatever the welp was chattering about and amused himself by visualizing violent ways of how he could wipe off that stupid wolfish grin he knew was plastered on his friend's face.

Sesshoumaru had to admit that even being blind had its perks. It made it far easier to escape into one's mind. The majority of people tend to rely on their sight. Without it, the amount of distraction dramatically decreases and you are left with sound. He was already quite the expert at tuning people out.

"Sesshoumaru are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" Kouga had a creeping suspicion that everything he just said fell on deaf ears.

(Silence)

"Sesshoumaru! Have you lost your hearing too?"

"I can hear your less than pleasing voice just fine. What do you want?"

Kouga absolutely hated it when his friend did this. _'Once an ass, always an ass.' _He snorted.

"Fine. Next time I try to help you out I'll remember how gracious you were to me this time," he huffed, highly pissed off from the timbre of his voice.

"What nonsense is this? I never recall asking you for anything," replied Sesshoumaru indifferently.

"I've only been talking about it for the past ten minutes!" Kouga took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself before addressing his stoic friend again. It was becoming more difficult by the second to harness his rising temper, and it wouldn't be long before he popped a blood vessel. _I wonder if there's a law against beating up a blind man? If he really, really deserves it... then technically it shouldn't be too bad... _

The truth was, he felt sorry for the guy and all he wanted to do was make his friend's situation easier. _He might act like this whole thing doesn't affect him, but I think it does... It has too._

"If any of your gracious intentions includeds that of another materialistic, filthy whore, I am not interested."

Kouga appeared very thoughtful about this the way his eyebrows fiercely knitted together.

Suddenly, the purely dubious expression on his face appeared enlightened as if he'd had an epiphany. "Sess, you should've told me you were looking for commitment rather than a quick screw!" he bellowed triumphantly.

"Ookami, you are as intuitive as you are dense...and you are trying my patience. Proceed in telling me the reason as to why you are here or leave now."

"Well, see...I was thinking the other day about you and your...um, situation... So I decided put out an anonymous add in the paper for a care giver to, you know…help you out…"

"You wasted your energy. I need no extra assistance."

"Are you sure about that? Who's going to keep up the house cleaning Sesshoumaru? Who's going to prepare your meals?... Don't be so stubborn."

Kouga paused for a moment, allowing his friend to absorb his words. "Besides, there is nothing you can do about it cowboy. Someone responded and I already hired them."

Truthfully he hadn't found anyone suitable that would last one day with the Ice Prince, but he knew Sesshoumaru Taishou was too proud to think himself in need of help, let alone ask for it. So being the caring friend that he was, Kouga had taken it upon himself to find it for him.

If Sesshoumaru was lucky, maybe he could find a cute onna to soften him up a bit. Giving it further thought, he mentally shook his head. All the women he knew were attractive, but dull and stupid concerning everything else that didn't have anything to with with rutting. He didn't understand what the problem was with that. If the woman was only after his money, all he would need to do is send her ass to the curb. But that was just Mr. Kouga Ookami's perspective on things.

Sesshoumaru would need someone with an intellect that rivaled his own, but as far as brainy chicks were concerned it was slim pickins'. At least, the ones who were worth looking at. He'd just have to wait and see what falls into his lap. After all, he had the advantage over the situation since his friend's vision was currently indisposed...So he was the one who got to call the shots.

As loathe as Sesshoumaru was to admit it to himself, for once his friend had a valid point. His main priority had been to make all the arrangements possible to ensure his privacy, he didn't even stop to think about those few 'minor' details. He'd rot in hell first before admitting that to Kouga though. Kami, he had never experienced helplessness in his life and he despised the feeling. After a few careful moments of contemplation he arrived at his decision.

"I shall have the final say in the matter understood?"

A wide grin spread across Kouga's face. _Got him._

"And Ookami… get your feet off my desk before I break both your legs."

Kouga's eyes held a look of pure bewilderment. Quickly he removed his legs from their resting place.

_**SK**_

Kagome was completely spent by the time she dropped Sango off at the front entrance to her apartment building. Though it was overall a safe and protected community area, she didn't leave until the complex doors closed behind her friend. Living on her own, she was cautious about little things like that.

There were too many crazy people in the world to let your guard down. Miroku was a psychologist for a living and had seen firsthand how crazed some people could be. He had told Sango and her some disturbing stories about some of his patients even though it was illegal to do so. He took his work and patient's confidentiality very seriously, but you'd be surprised how quickly he can change his tune if you reveal a little skin.

The Ford's clock radio which softly played Pink Floyd's 'How I Wish You Were Here' read 1:00AM in bright green light. They had missed the first showing of their movie thanks to Sango and insane weekend traffic which is why it was so late. Since they had time to kill before the later showing, they decided to walk through the mall connected to the theater--on the terms that they only "looked". She was trying to save money not spend it.

Yeah right.

_'So much for window shopping,'_ she thought to herself as she took a guilty glance behind her at the load of purchases piled high in the back of her red truck.

Kagome blamed Sango for her moment of weakness. It was her who pointed out the brand new art supply store and it was also her friend who suggested they check out the place, therefore it was her fault. Well, at least it eased her guilty conscious just a bit to think of it that way. She had every intention of taking a quick look and then leaving before she was too tempted. Everything was fine until she discovered the store was having a huge sale in celebration of their grand opening. All her will power went out the window. Her heart couldn't resist snagging some new brushes, paints, and a few other bags worth of items.

The drive home was quiet and she had to turn the radio up to keep from dozing off. She couldn't wait to sprawl out on her cushy queen size bed with her goose down comforter, six pillows, and her hot pink plushy. She was an unpredictable sleeper and used all her bedding as borders around her body. Otherwise she woke up cranky with her body either half way hanging off the bed, mangled and twisted in a weird position, upside down, or a combination of all three.

As she cruised into the driveway of her quaint little condo she noticed the kitchen and living room lights were on. She was anal about turning them off whenever she left a room or went out. Souta must be over, no doubt raiding her fridge and picking her cupboards clean. Sure enough she spotted his beat up blue Honda parked against the sidewalk across the street.

It was truly a miracle how Kagome managed to unlock the door with all those shopping bags in her arms. She entered the house to find her brother sitting on the couch watching television, his anatomy books lay in a neat pile on top of his backpack.

Souta couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous his older sister looked with bags hanging off each arm, around her neck, and even one in her teeth.

"Well hey big spender?!" he said with a winning grin on his face, "What'd you buy?...The whole store?"

"Well I can see you've been real busy," she said, eyeing the empty potato chip bag lying on the carpet floor.

He chose to ignore her sarcasm and stood up to embrace her in a big bear hug.

"Nice to see you too sis," he said with a loving smirk. "Wow, you look drained… You should really get to bed."

She just rolled her eyes and then laughed. "That's what I was planning you baka!"

Souta was a handsome boy and extremely bright--although Kagome would agree he was too smart for his own good. He was a freshman in college, currently attending Tokyo University to pursue a career in medicine. He dropped in fairly often either to enjoy his sister's company or when he was in need of a quiet place to study without the constant disturbances always present at the college dorms. He loved to socialize and as driven as he was, got easily distracted. He was the apple of his sister's eye and she loved his visits. Just not in the wee hours of the morning.

"So how's school going?" she asked, while they both headed back to the couch to sit down.

"Oh, you know…the usual…cutting up dead bodies with scalpels and pulling out--"

"Okay-okay, stop it before I puke!?" she giggled as she hit him hard on the arm.

"Are you sure?" he teasingly asked.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Because that's nothing compared to some of the pictures I have in my med books. I'll have to show you some photos from the dermatology section." Suddenly he lowered his voice and chocolate brown eyes grew wide. His face took on a very serious—almost reverent expression. "Now that is some _scary_ shit."

_**SK**_

It was almost two in the morning, she was exhausted and her brother still managed to make her laugh so hard to the point tears were steaming from her eyes and her sides ached.

"Souta, I can't handle any more of you," she groaned playfully, weakly whacking him across the shoulder. "Leave so I can get at least some sleep tonight."

He sighed. "Yeah…I guess I'll let you go…I have others to grace with my presence with anyway."

"At almost two in the morning?!" she asked incredulously.

"But the night has just begun! We youngsters have so much to do and so little time," he said expressively.

"Alright…well be safe and don't do anything crazy or I'll have to strangle you myself."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" he murmured as he stepped out the front door.

Kagome looked like the walking dead as she made her way to her room. She stripped her clothes off and didn't even bother putting on pajamas before falling into bed.

Her eyes closed and lips curled into a dreamy smile as she snuggled into her down comforter and army of pillows. Life was good.

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End file.
